This invention relates to pulleys. In one aspect, it relates to a composite pulley made of metal and plastic. In another aspect, it relates to a method for manufacturing a composite pulley.
Molded plastic pulleys are well known in the art. Plastic pulleys are generally limited in application to fractional and subfractional power transmission systems because slipping and working of a belt wears a plastic pulley more quickly than a metal pulley.
It has been proposed to provide plastic pulleys with metal belt-bearing surfaces. U.S. Pat. No. 3,142,997 discloses an adjustable diameter V-belt pulley having a molded plastic body and a metal liner or facing element disposed for direct frictional engagement with a V-belt, the metal liner being mechanically interlocked with the plastic body. The metal liner is either spun or stamped into shape, and later interlocked with the plastic body.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,155 discloses a composite pulley comprising a preformed flange having a V-shaped groove, a metal bushing mounted in a central opening in the flange, and a plastic layer covering the opposed surfaces of the flange and the outside surface of the bushing.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel method for making composite pulleys.
It is another object of this invention to provide a novel composite pulley.
Other objects, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the invention.